The Works & Process Rotunda Projects Initiative Gala at New York's Guggenheim Museum raised more than $450,000 in commissioning funds for the Works & Process Rotunda Projects program. The announced initiative will expand the Guggenheim's Works & Process program’s commissioned performances into the museum’s iconic rotunda. A new residency program, Works & Process Rotunda Projects will invite performing artists to create works for this unique space. Chaired by Isaac Mizrahi, the gala kicked off with a performance by Michelle Dorrance and Daniil Simkin in the Peter B. Lewis Theater, followed by dinner in the Rotunda. The event included a special demonstration in the rotunda of interactive projections planned for the upcoming Simkin project.

The first set of projects will feature MacArthur Fellow Michelle Dorrance scheduled on February 16, 2017 and American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancer Daniil Simkin scheduled on September 5, 2017.

A 2015 MacArthur Fellow and 2013 Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award Winner, Michelle Dorrance performs, teaches, and choreographs throughout the world. She is one of the most sought-after tap dancers of her generation and “one of the most imaginative tap choreographers working today,” according to the New Yorker. Dorrance, leading a large cast of dancers and musicians during a three-week-long residency, will use tap dance and percussion to create a performative soundscape incorporating the rotunda as a musical instrument.

Daniil Simkin Rotunda Project September 5, 2017

After a residency spanning five weeks, American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancer Daniil Simkin and a cast of dancers will utilize new technology in a performance with commissioned choreography by Alejandro Cerrudo and new music. The performance will be captured by infrared motion sensors, enhanced by 3D mapped visuals, and projected onto the surface of the rotunda, creating an immersive experience that meshes technology, music, visuals, fashion, and dance. The projection will bridge human bodies and architecture to create a startlingly unique environment.

Works & Process at the Guggenheim

Described by the New York Times as “an exceptional opportunity to understand something of the creative process,” Works & Process at the Guggenheim champions new works and offers audiences unprecedented access to leading creators and performers. In its 32-year history of more than 400 productions, Works & Process has enabled New Yorkers to see, hear, and meet the most acclaimed artists in the world, in an intimate setting unlike any other.